Esmé is a welcome addition to Lincoln Park, where chef Jenner Tomaska and wife Katrina Bravo give fine dining a sorely needed overhaul. Tomaska, who worked for Next, Alinea Group’s rotating restaurant, is artfully churning out dishes like salt baked sable, salmon with spring pears in “ranch whey,” and carrot dauphine are part of the $185 coursed-out meal. Reservations are mandatory.

This long awaited Logan Square cafe focuses on charcuterie and sandwiches. It’s been a smash hit since opening, drawing crowds morning, afternoon, and evening. The restaurant, the first joint effort from chef Christopher Thompson (Coda di Volpe) and Steve Lewis (Centennial Crafted Brewing), is a casual affair with a rustic European Old World feel. There’s a deep wine list and the cheese boards will keep guests coming back for more.

Former Carnivale chef Rodolfo Cuadros has seen his cooking evolve. His successful Bucktown restaurant, Amaru, continues to delight, but during the pandemic he needed new ways to make money to help his business survive. He and his family had already drastically cut their meat intake at home, and so Cuadros turned to a virtual vegan restaurant for salvation. He’s now expanded that concept into a standalone restaurant in Wicker Park with a full bar and a vegan cheese plate that’s become a crowd pleaser.

This ritzy Gold Coast Italian restaurant has brought back some sorely needed energy to downtown. Chef Soo Ahn (Band of Bohemia) has created a balanced menu where there’s plenty to feast on for vegetarians and omnivores. Find handmade pastas, decadent steaks befitting a Chicago chop house, and more.

Joe Flamm’s dream is finally here, as the the former Spiaggia chef and Top Chef winner opened his first restaurant alongside the owners of flashy West Loop steakhouse BLVD. Flamm merges his prowess with handmade Italian pastas and Croatian techniques blending Old and New Worlds to create something unique. Reservations are recommended, because this might the most difficult table in town.

As the Trib reports, Erica McGhee is known as the Burger Queen as she shows no fear in stacking smashed beef patties with decadent toppings. Beyond burgers, customers can find stellar mac and cheese, a sloppy joe, and chilaquiles. McGhee is looking to expand her menu soon, so it will be cool to see how this all-day brunch spot grows.

This is the second location of a Dallas restaurant that combines a trendy dining room with spaces that beg customers to make Instagram posts and upscale comfort food. It’s a genre that modernizes Southern cuisine popularized by Black America. Owner Kevin Kelley wants his new restaurant to complement Chicago’s dining scene, to be a celebratory place where diners nosh on huge chops drizzled with Asian Hennessy glaze and a cornucopia of chicken and waffle options. There’s also creative cocktails and a lounge. Reservations are recommended.

Food halls aren’t a passing fad, even during a pandemic. Urbanspace is a collection of 12 stalls and a bar (there’s room for 20 restaurants) with a mix of local favorites (Happy Lobster, Edzo’s Burger Shop, Budlong, Isla Pilipina) and imports (Roberta’s Pizza, Plant Junkie, Pita Yeero). Toss in some new concepts (Bianca’s BBQ, Bhoomi) and this is a formidable spot for Loop dining.

Boka Restaurant Group strikes again the West Loop with Alla Vita, its jack of all trades Italian restaurant with pastas and pizzas aimed to please a diverse audience of families, couples, and tourists along Randolph Street. The former Bellemore gets a facelift with plants, a wine installation, and a sleeker design. Reservations are recommended.

This Spanish all-day restaurant from D.C. native James Martin is a sleeper hit in Lincoln Park. The former A10 chef features a morning menu with coffee and pastries. The all-day menu, ideal for lunch, focuses on bocadillos, the elusive Spanish small sandwiches that haven’t quite caught on in Chicago. Find smoked lamb, fried calamari, and jamon Serrano options. The dinner menu includes heavy hitters like paella and tapas favorites like patatas bravas, and non-traditional items like foie gras with berry and beet jam.

Not many in Lincoln Park expected a London-style Anglo-Indian pub from the owners of Au Cheval. But after months of not saying a thing, Hogsalt Hospitality opened Armitage Alehouse featuring British-style curries, savory pot pies, and Guinness and Harp at the bar. English pubs are known for being casual, allowing patrons to drop in and out at their leisure. At the sleek and dark Armitage Alehouse, customers will need luck to grab a reservation.

Doubles, a Trini delicacy, are featured at Cafe Trinidad ToGo, the return of a Grand Crossing restaurant that closed in 2016. The island cuisine sees many influence, including African, Syrian, and Indian — all byproducts of colonization and slavery. Powered by a Caribbean version of roti, doubles are filled with chickpeas, potatoes, or goat and lamb curry, a sweeter version than most would expect. Cafe Trinidad’s return gives Chicagoans a delicious option for this vital dish. The Reader’s Mike Sula has more.

Sure, Chicago has dozens of great fried chicken providers. But Dave’s Hot Chicken, just across Lane Tech High School in Roscoe Village, is special. This LA-based fast-casual restaurant serves spicy chicken tenders from no heat to reaper. The tenders are tasty and plump. Students crowd the restaurant until the 10 p.m. shutter and with good reason. For its first location in the city proper, Dave’s and its celeb investors are welcome additions.